Allied prisoners of war; later primarily cargo transport missions in the occupied areas of Japan and Korea during the postwar era. The squadron inactivated in 1949 in Japan due to budget constraints; its aircraft being assigned to other units as part of the consolidation. Cold War Air Defense The squadron was activated as the 46th Air Defense Missile Squadron (BOMARC) in 1959 at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, and stood alert during the Cold War, with IM-99A (later CIM-10) BOMARC surface to air antiaircraft missiles. The squadron was tied into a Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) direction center which could use analog computers to process information from ground radars, picket ships and airborne aircraft to accelerate the display of tracking data at the direction center to quickly direct the missile site to engage hostile aircraft. It trained personnel and prepared for operation of the BOMARC surface-to-air missiles; operated and maintained BOMARC missiles and associated equipment, trained personnel, and maintained a capability to intercept and destroy hostile aircraft until inactivation. The squadron was inactivated on 31 October 1972, one of the last two BOMARC missile squadrons inactivated. The BOMARC missile site was located east-southeast of McGuire Air Force Base at . Although geographically separated from the base, it was an off base facility of McGuire and the squadron received administrative and logistical support from McGuire. Consolidation The 46th Troop Carrier Squadron and the 46th Air Defense Missile Squadron were consolidated on 19 September 1985 as the 46th Tactical Missile Squadron while remaining inactive. Lineage 46th Troop Carrier Squadron Constituted as the 46th Transport Squadron on 30 May 1942 Activated on 15 June 1942 Redesignated as the 46th Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 July 1942 Redesignated as the 46th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 10 August 1948 Inactivated on 1 April 1949 Consolidated with the 46 Air Defense Missile Squadron on 19 September 1985 46th Air Defense Missile Squadron Constituted as the 46th Air Defense Missile Squadron (BOMARC) on 10 December 1958 Activated on 1 January 1959 Inactivated on 31 October 1972 Consolidated with the 46 Troop Carrier Squadron on 19 September 1985 Assignments 317th Transport Group (later 317th Troop Carrier Group), 15 June 1942 Fifth Air Force, 18 August 1948 - 1 April 1949 (attached to 317th Troop Carrier Wing), 18 August 1948, 6146th Station Group, 1 October 1948, 374th Troop Carrier Group, 5 March 1949 - 1 April 1949 New